Category: Old
A BOLT MUST: A HOME WITH A POOL
Water is my happy place and because of me, we choose to live in smaller apartments that have pools. I came to accept this about myself after our first 6 months here in Merida. We had a lovely 2 bedroom home but no pool. I became a “pool beggar”, visiting friends with pools frequently. Now we are in a much smaller place and I love my daily time in the pool.
There are so many benefits to swimming and exercising in the water. Including:
- Water supports the body, putting less stress on your joints and muscles.
- Working out in water helps build strength.
- Water pressure helps put less strain on the heart by moving blood around the body.
- The impact of gravity is less in the water allowing a greater range of motion.
- It keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body.
- It builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
- It helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs.
- It tones muscles and builds strength.
- It provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.
- Swimming or water exercise are relaxing and peaceful, alleviating stress
improving coordination, balance and posture,
improving flexibility, and
providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions. - Especially here in very hot Merida having time in the water provids a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day.
For more information about the value of water exercise visit https://pin.it/5bVVSOE
I’d love to hear about your “must haves” in finding the home that is right for you. Please feel free to share in the comments section. If you have any questions please contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com
5 Fun Things to do While Living in Merida
Having fun and finding beauty, even during a pandemic, is easy and affordable to do in and around Merida. Here are five suggestions.
1. Take a Walk
Merida is a great city for walking especially in the Centro or Paseo Montejo áreas.
2. Explore Mayan History and Culture
Chichen Itza is just one of many ancient Mayan heritage sites in the area. Get a good guide and learn more about this beautiful culture.
3. Visit a Cenote
If you do nothing else, visit at least one of these magical and sacred natural water filled sink holes.
4. Go Looking for Iguanas
These dragon like creatures are all over the city, especially in parks. I love trying to spot them as they are shy and blend in well with their surroundings.
5. Cool Off with a Day at the Beach or a Pool!
Merida is 🔥 HOT! There are lovely beaches less than 30 minutes away and many local hotels allow you to come swim, better yet…get an apartment with a pool!
BOLT Reviews: Playa Bonita Beach Club
Just a short 3o minutes away from Mérida, Mexico is the city of Chelem. This sleepy little pueblo is home to the perfect spot for a getaway.
Playa Bonita Beach Club is the perfect spot for a day trip. For only 100 pesos (about $5 usd) you can spend all day on a comfortable beach lounge.
There is a lovely little pool, changing rooms and very clean restrooms.
I was especially delighted by how good, I mean really good the food and drinks were. There is a full, moderately priced menu. The waiters were attentive and friendly. You can have your food brought to your oceanside lounge or table.
I enjoyed a lovely walk along the beach and several people were actually enjoying time in the waves. All in all I spent a perfect day at Playa Bonita Beach Club. I can’t wait to go back!
If you have a special getaway spot in the Yucatan or wherever you are, we’d love to hear about it. Comment here or write us at BOLTraveling@gmail.com
Nuestras Primeras Dos Semanas en Mérida
Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since our arrival in Merida. Because of Covid concerns we haven’t done much exploring yet, outside of getting to know our new neighborhood. Here is a summary of our first two weeks in pictures.
So, our new life in Merida is comfortable, quiet and beautiful…all we could ask for during these difficult times. We look forward to exploring and sharing more as the weeks progress. Stay safe! Love and light to all!
?!Merida!?
My friend, Olivia, gave me the inspiration for this week’s blog post. She asked some great questions which I will answer here.
How was your time in Vietnam? It was wonderful! Vietnam handled the Covid crisis very well. It was very safe. Da Nang is beautiful and affordable. However, we came for a month and ended up staying for 10. We were concerned about having to review our visas every month and the strong possibility that we would eventually be denied.
Will you ever return to Asia? We hope so. We love Asia, especially Thailand and Malaysia. Plus there are several countries we still want to visit (India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia for sure). But if 2020 has taught me anything it’s that nothing is for certain.
What was your impetus to move to Mexico, in the middle of a pandemic? How did you choose Merida? Merida is one of the safest cities, not just in Mexico but the world. While the pandemic is of course a concern, we chose Merida because of it’s relatively low Covid numbers, thriving black ex pat community, affordable housing and proximity to family and friends in the U.S.
How are you feeling today? We traveled for 2 days, 4 planes plus all the packing and preparation. We are exhausted and jet lagged but grateful to have arrived safely. We tested for coronavirus before leaving Vietnam and were both negative. We plan to isolate for the recccomended 10 days and will wear masks and practice social distancing until further notice.
One question Olivia didn’t ask but I wanted to share on briefly is: What was traveling like during a pandemic? It was really surreal and a bit anxiety producing. Most of the airports were REALLY empty until we got to Houston. We treated ourselves to better seats, lounges and a hotel stay during our Houston layover. We wore masks at all times and my hands are so dry from all the washing and hand sanitizer. Overall our travel was a positive experience, for which we are very grateful!
Thank you Olivia for helping me to clarify what I wanted to share today, our 5th day in beautiful Merida.
Morning Miracle Tumeric Drink
I used to have a LOT of joint pain, especially in my knees. Some days I could barely walk. Then I discovered tumeric and how it helps with inflammation, arthritis and joint pain. I started experimenting with different ways of talking it.
There are lots of ways to take this miracle spice, including capsules or packaged teas. I like making this drink from scratch, it’s a lot more affordable. Also, I believe using fresh ingredients are more potent. My recipe has fresh ginger, another very healthy root.
For the past 3 years I’ve been drinking this 7 item tumeric drink daily and have been almost completely joint pain free. I call it my morning miracle drink. It’s a lovely way to break my fast and start my day.
I make a base drink weekly of 4 ingredients. This recipe makes enough for a week’s worth of morning miracle base. I store it in the fridge and pour out a cupful every morning.
Morning Miracle Base:
1/2 cup of tumeric root (chopped)
1/2 cup of ginger root (chopped)
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1/8 cup of black peppercorns or 2 heaping table spoons of ground black pepper (black pepper is said to make the tumeric more effective)
Add 4 cups of water
Bring to a boil these 4 ingredients and then simmer for 30 minutes
I add these ingredients daily to the base drink:
The juice of one lemon or 2 limes
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (also very beneficial to your health)
You can drink Miracle Morning hot or cold. I prefer it room temperature.
There are lots of different recipes for tumeric tea. Let me know if you have a favorite.
Da Nang! BOLT Top 5 Things to See Here!
We are so fortunate to be sheltering in Da Nang during this pandemic. We are able to go places and do things. The virus appears to be under control and with sane precautions we are able to enjoy this part of Vietnam. We’ve been here long enough that we have our top 5 spots.
5. Hoi An Ancient Town
This picturesque town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s touristy with lots of shops and souvenirs. It also has lovely ancient buildings and views of the water. Hoi An is a short. (less than 45 minutes) ride from Da Nang. A highlight for us was the river boat ride.
4. Bana Hills Sun World
This place is amazing! A marvel of engineering and design, it’s set high above the city. To get there you take the world’s longest cable car. After a breathtaking ride you can spend hours exploring the park. There are amusement park rides, arcade games, flower gardens and beautiful buildings. A highlight of Bana Hills for most folks is the amazing Golden Hands Bridge.
3. Kwan Yin Statue
I love that we are sheltering in a city that is overlooked by Kwan Yin. She is the Buddhist goddess of love and compassion. A short ride up into the hills can take you for a visit. There you can oooh and ahhh at beautiful statues and gardens and even see some monkeys (a highlight for me).
2. Vinpearlland
It’s a water park! It’s a zoo! It’s an amusement park! It’s an awesome place to spend the day! Vinpearlland is the kind of place you have to experience, it’s hard for me to really tell you how much fun can be had there! I’ve been twice and each time I discover more. I especially loved feeding the giraffes on the safari river!
1. Hot Springs Park
I LOVE a good soak in a hot springs or even a hot tub. Unlike most hot springs that I have visited, this place has so much more! It’s a fully loaded water park with all the slides and water features you’d expect. There’s a 5D movie theater, an area full of growling, moving dinosaurs and there are lovely gardens. I really enjoyed the mud bath I had and spending time with Kathy and our friends at this lovely place.
We are grateful for our time here in Da Nang. It’s a beautiful big city. We are looking forward to exploring more of Vietnam in the near future and sharing our experiences with you!
Good Morning Vietnam!
I love mornings here in Da Nang. No matter how early I’m up there are folks up ahead of me. The markets are bustling at 6am.
The coffee shops and bahn mi stands are also up and ready for business by 6.
But the thing I love most are mornings at the beach. I went today for the 5:18 sunrise, enjoying the beauty of the path leading to our local beach.
The beach was already crowded. The sights of families swimming, elders exercising and crowds of people briskly walking bring me joy.
Perhaps this is not scientific but I think that the Vietnamese commitment to community and wellness has contributed to the low Covid numbers. As beloved and frequently used as the beaches are when ordered everyone respected the closing of the beaches and following the rules was the norm.
Kathy and I are so grateful to be in such a safe and beautiful place during these difficult times. We hold all in our prayers and meditations. We surround you all with love and light. We pray for an end to this pandemic. We pray for the dismantling of systemic racism and injustice. We trust and affirm that healing is happening and change is coming!
BOLT❤️Da Nang!
Kathy and I are really enjoying our time here in Da Nang. This coastal city in central Vietnam has so much to offer. I love all the photo ops and keep my camera phone handy at all times.
We love talking long walks along the clean beach and breathing the fresh clean air. There is usually a nice breeze blowing too.
In Da Nang you are literally surrounded and by water as the lovely and peaceful Han River runs through town.
The river has played a significant role in the development of Da Nang. There are 10 bridges crossing the river. The city is on both sides of the river.
One thing we really love about Da Nang is the towering Kwan Yin statue that watches over the city. I really feel the energy of her loving compassion.
There’s an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in Da Nang. I especially like visiting our local market, Bac My An.
Being right on the ocean, Da Nang seems to be a seafood lover’s paradise.
I’ve been super pleased with the vegetarian options I’ve found.
One of the best things about Da Nang is our ex pat people of color community. We meet frequently for brunches, game nights and outing.
We are looking forward to at least another month here in Da Nang and have found a great apartment with a rooftop pool, 2 blocks from the beach!
We have found the people of Vietnam to be friendly, helpful and kind.
We are very happy here and feel quite safe. I know people have concerns about the Corona virus but Vietnam is currently considered one of the safer countries to be in Southeast Asia. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns.
BOLT: Black Old Lesbians Traveling 